Sum greater than parts at Stephen F. Austin
NCAA Football Betting Lines
07/22/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Head coach J.C. Harper attributes Stephen F. Austin's turnaround over the past few seasons to a belief in the system he established.
"We had a plan, stayed on task with the plan, and haven't gotten off of it," the 2009 Southland Conference Coach of the Year said.
"That system relies on contributions from every aspect of Stephen F. Austin's football program, from the coaching staff, to the recruiters, to the athletic department to the players on the field. Harper notes that he "recruited guys that fit the system."
The system is now bearing considerable fruit.
In the midst of the turnaround is senior quarterback Jeremy Moses. The 2010 Walter Payton Award nominee is a deserving symbol of the Lumberjacks' improvement. He was the 2009 conference co-player of the year and is on pace to become the Southland's all-time leader in completions, touchdown passes, passing yards and total offense. With Moses at the helm last season, the Lumberjacks finished first in the Southland in total offense (468.9 yards per game) and second in points scored (34.8 ppg).
Harper is quick to sing Moses' praises, but continues to stress his "total team effort" philosophy. "In football, it is easier to talk about the offense," Harper said.
Generally, this tends to be the case. Most fans prefer the glitz and glam of a flashy offensive over the grit and gristle of a stalwart defense. It's the bright lights that make the eyes gleam, and it's touchdowns that make the fans scream.
Studying Harper's pedigree, it is clear to see which side of the ball he comes down on. Before taking over at Stephen F. Austin, Harper spent the vast majority of his career scheming to stop players like Moses. After a two-year graduate assistantship with Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, in which he worked with the offense, Harper began his career with defensive line coaching positions at Southwest Missouri State and Western Michigan. He has served as defensive coordinator for Southwest Missouri State, Northwestern State, Western Michigan and Stephen F. Austin.
Not surprisingly then, Harper points to a defender when remarking on his team's strides.
In 2007, Harper's inaugural head coaching season, the Lumberjacks failed to win a game. Decimated by injury, the team lost five players on opening day, including their top three running backs. In all, they utilized 12 players at the position throughout the season, including then-freshman linebacker Jabara Williams. Harper remembers how in one game Williams started at both running back and linebacker, while also contributing on special teams.
"I remember telling Jabara, 'I promise I'm gonna get you on one side of the ball,'" Harper said.
Harper kept his promise. In 2008, as the Lumberjacks improved to 4-8, Williams led the Southland Conference in tackles and was named First-Team All- SLC at linebacker. In 2009, the Jacks went 10-3 and earned an FCS playoff berth, eventually advancing to the second round.
Harper touts the system and Williams has proved to be an essential system guy - an individual willing to sacrifice personal gain for the betterment of the team.
Now Williams is entering his senior season as a Buck Buchanan Award nominee. He heads a unit which in 2009 ranked second in the SLC in both total defense and points allowed.
Aside from Williams, Harper says defensive linemen Kenneth Charles, Jacob Fincher and Rainey Sternes are players pivotal to the team's success.
Charles is another system guy. Last year, the 6-foot-3, 266-pound defensive end moved inside to tackle at Harper's request. Charles ended up earning Second-Team All-SLC honors.
Fincher, Harper hopes, is a defensive end capable of replacing departed playmaking lineman Tim Knickey. "He has shown it in practice, and is more powerful than Knicky," Harper said.
Sternes, a fifth-year senior, is expected to battle for a starting spot at defensive end.
Despite their varying status on the team, Harper considers all of these players pivotal - a potential defensive player of the year, a versatile all- conference performer, an unproven replacement and a fifth-year senior. It's a microcosm of "total team effort."
Harper's philosophy and the team's effort have proven to be effective. If patterns carry any weight, Stephen F. Austin should again prove to be an FCS playoff contender in 2010.
"We should know by our fifth game where we are at," Harper predicted. The Jacks open with tough games against Texas A&M, Albany, Northern Iowa and McNeese State.
Still, given his recent track record, it is safe to predict that Harper's team will be in a good place.
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Thursday to share the firs
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Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.
The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.
MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.
A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.
Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
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